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Sammanfattning

The environment, partly as a recipient of wastewater discharges, is a major reservoir for the proliferation and transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – a growing global health threat driven by the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial chemicals. This thesis investigated the role of decentralized, on-site sewage facilities (OSSF) in the environmental dissemination of AMR. First, I developed a robust, microbiologically sensitive analytical method for quantifying antimicrobial chemicals from sources (influent and effluent wastewater) to recipients (groundwater, surface water), aimed at supporting (inter)national AMR monitoring efforts. Next, I reviewed the global literature to identify OSSF as overlooked contributors to environmental AMR, highlighting a critical need for quantitative data on AMR determinants and their co-occurrences with antimicrobials chemicals. I also prioritized antimicrobial chemicals of concern in OSSF settings, based on a metaanalysis of their AMR selection risk, ecological risk, and environmental hazard. Then, to characterize and quantify the dissemination of AMR contaminants from source to recipient, I conducted an extensive field study in a Swedish OSSF and its associated groundwater, revealing that the OSSF insufficiently removed AMR contaminants. In contrast to AMR determinants, antimicrobial chemicals exhibited higher temporal variation. Strong correlations between AMR determinants and chemical contaminants suggest interactions between these factors in the AMR dissemination process. Finally, I evaluated biochar as an eco-friendly material for mitigating AMR contaminants. Biochars with high specific surface area efficiently removed chemical contaminants, while those with greater external surface area, rather than microporous structures, better mitigated AMR determinants. This led to a combination of biochars for improving the overall mitigation. This thesis advances the understanding of the role of OSSF in the environmental dimension of AMR and provides critical insights that can support their monitoring, regulation, and mitigation efforts needed to combat AMR for a sustainable future.

Nyckelord

(waste)water extraction; pharmaceuticals; antimicrobial resistance genes; groundwater; surface water; effluent wastewater; water treatment; biochar

Publicerad i

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae
2025, nummer: 2025:16
Utgivare: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

SLU författare

UKÄ forskningsämne

Miljövetenskap
Vattenbehandlingsbioteknik

Publikationens identifierare

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.54612/a.36r7l3u2m6
  • ISBN: 978-91-8046-451-2
  • eISBN: 978-91-8046-501-4

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/132956